For the sixth edition of our Chez Nous Mix Session series, we turned to M.BOOTYSPOON. You can check out a short Q&A with him below before hitting the play button at the bottom of the page. You'll be treated to a nice mix that you can listen to as we ride out summer together!

OTH: When did you first get into DJing and making music, and why?

M.B: I was exposed to underground electronic music at a very young age and that passion never really died down. I guess I gained the proper interest for DJing from my older brother when I was about fifteen. He was starting out playing minimal & techno records after he had gone out and seen most of Montreal's underground nightlife scene for himself. We had a pair of Technics in our basement, but I couldn't scratch so I immediately (and regrettably) dropped trying to DJ for about four years. Around this time I had also taken stabs at sound design and tried making my own music, but it was mainly at a hobbyist stage. It was around early 2009 when I really started burning CDs taking them to bars and clubs to play.

Within the last couple of months I’ve taken production a bit more seriously and I’m happy to announce that you’ll see a release from me in the fall under a not-so-obvious alias. Very unintentional ten-year plan I guess hahahah

OTH: Do you have any residencies in Montreal? Radio shows? etc...

M.B: Not at the moment. I can pretty much be found playing anywhere in the city really. I’ve had an on-going project which is New Sounds of Montreal that started with Sinjin Hawke, LOL Boys’ Heartbeat(s) and Rinse France’s Azamat B. which is where I cut my teeth at DJing a varied selection of music and VJing at parties. I also just started up 00:AM with three friends of mine which is a party focused on House & Techno talents who push the envelope of those genres. Brendan Neal aka Motions is the other resident DJ of that night.

OTH: Any particular events that have stuck with you in Montreal?

M.B:I still really like Night Trackin' which was Jacques Greene and Seb Diamond's nights back in 2009 till about 2012. The early parties they had put on had a huge impact on me because it was about a year after I had really started going out and it definitely stuck with me during that formative period. That was also around the time that I saw Tiga play at Stereo for the first time which changed how I viewed nightlife, partying etc. Also when the Torn Curtain had it's doors open to after hours party people, that was really something else- definitely a pivotal point in Montreal's late night scene for the decade. After parties in this city have, in absolutely no way, come close to this vibe since.

OTH: How do you describe your genre and your vibe?

M.B:I've definitely gravitated to a Chicago / Ron Hardy style of DJing. I'm not a genre purist. If I can break down rhythmic or tonal elements between musics that on the surface seem completely different just because they’re from a different scene, I don't see why they shouldn't be played together. I'm all for having a cohesive, disciplined set every once in a while but I also don't enjoy sounding and playing like most people these days do. I’ve found that it’s this sort of approach that sets the mood and pace of my DJing apart from others.

OTH: How would you describe this mix?

M.B: I noticed there were already a lot of DJ mixes aimed towards the dancefloor for Chez Nous series, so I figured I'd present something a little different. I came at this mix with little constraints other than the period in which it was being released, the back to school period of the year; end-of-summer vibes were channeled into it. It's still going to be hot out, you're still going to be in summer mode for another month, but the comedown is near and I wanted to soothe people into that. The kinda mix you can listen to by the pool, while you're shopping or before going on a night out in the city. Personally this summer had been an upward rollercoaster going full speed whilst money flew out my pockets, and I don’t quite think I was alone on that ride. Not trying to imagine slamming the breaks on that.